It will take a little more time to create some of the documents we want to share from our notebooks. At this time, we want to offer as much information as possible, as quickly as possible ... so please be patient with us. We are working on our pages.
Our "goal" is to cover our area 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
There have been times when we have come very close. Those times came on the
heels of wide-spread vandalism.
The Police and Sheriff's Departments are the INTERVENTION
forces. They have high visability and high impact. Their results are
obvious. The jails and prisons are full. The Court-system is backlogged. The
news media gives them full coverage day after day after day.
The Oakland Neighborhood Watch Patrols are the PREVENTION
forces. If crime does not happen because we are seen on the streets, on
patrol, there are no obvious results. No one is arrested. No one goes to
court. No one goes to jail or prison. No news media is going to waste time
with coverage of a non-eventful news item.
It is sometimes difficult to keep a proper perspective when the gas tanks
are empty. Patrols increase for 2-4 weeks after a major problem occurs. As
you might guess, during that time, crime takes a nose dive. When crime
drops, patrols drop. When trouble strikes, the cycle starts all over again.
Although this roller-coaster ride may seem quite "negative", it would be
worse if there were no peaks to go with those valleys.
Most of our consistantly regular patrol members work together as a team.
We know each other's capabilities and each other's limitations. We know
which person to call for back-up for specific situations. We know "who lives
where" and who knows the details about a specific hot-spot.
We welcome new members and share every bit of information we have. The
ride-along program is suggested but not mandatory. We seriously try to
suggest that our newly recruited members NOT patrol agressively
(alleys, secluded areas, etc.) if they are the only car on the
streets. We try to encourage more than one vehicle at all times
for safety sake. We offer to provide new patrol members with
Suggested Guidelines for Patrols
, Local Emergency and Non-Emergency Phone Numbers, Pay-Phone
Locations, a partial listing of essential Police Department 10-Codes and Signals,
Alpha Codes , an
Area Map, a Log Sheet for time, an Incident Report Form, and Names & Phone
Numbers for Patrol Coordinators.
Coordinators!? Coordinators are the backbone of our organization. Coordinators accept the challenge of the following responsibilities for the appropriate night:
Base Units!? Base CB's are a very important link between 9-1-1 dispatch and
our patrol vehicles. Our Base units receive calls from residents and relay
the information to the the appropriate person or group. It doesn't take very
long for word to get out that the Neighborhood Watch Patrol can put more cars
on the street in a shorter amount of time than all law enforcement combined
has to spare, when there is a missing child, stolen vehicle, stolen bicycle,
stolen property, prowler, etc.
If your area is troubled by crime and you are curious about patrols, we want
to encourage you to try it. Start today! If you have even some
support, get yourselves organized. If you make even moderate progress, more
support will follow. Just be prepared for a set-back or two. We were not.
(Perhaps I should say "I was not"!)
If your area HAS a patrol and you've gotten beyond the "televison is
more exciting" and "I'm low on gasoline" stage
give US some advice. We will pass it along right here with our IDEA
EXCHANGE PAGE. (This will be a link!) Please E-Mail us at onw717@hotmail.com
© 1997 OOPS!
